Honestly Healthy Flapjacks

A perfect guilt-free snack for revision during exam time, or for any lunch box - whether it is for kids at school or to enjoy with a cup of tea at work.

They have a satisfying texture and a natural sweet taste, with oats and seeds that will give you more energy for longer, providing you with good, honestly healthy nutrients.

With finals approaching, I find myself constantly reaching for the chocolate. Food that makes you feel good for a bit, but doesn't really provide any long-lasting energy or nutrients. I flicked through my new 'Honestly Healthy' cookbook to find something I could make that was actually good brain-food, and that also tastes really delicious and satisfying. I came across some 'Granola Bars'. As always, I played around with the recipe a bit, and have created something with easy-to-get-your-hands-on ingredients.

I wouldn't describe mine as granola bars since they are not crunchy, but are soft and gooey, more like flapjacks. If you use jumbo oats then perhaps they would turn out more crunchy, but I used porridge oats. Don't go on a crazy shopping spree to hunt down every specific ingredient - play around with fruit, seeds and nuts that you already have at the back of the cupboard.

They are easy to make one evening to set you up with snacks for the week - and you know exactly what is in them, unlike all the cereal bars out there claiming to be healthy or low fat, when they are packed full of extra sugar and additives. 

These flapjacks are gluten-free, rich in vitamins, high in fibre, and bursting with energy.

Go on, take a bite...

Makes 9

- 200g oats

- 250g dried prunes, chopped

- water

- 75g dried cranberries

- 2 tbsp milled linseed mix with gojiberries, sunflower & pumpkin seeds (you can find in Aldi)

- 2 heaped tbsp pumpkin seeds

- pinch of cinnamon

- 3 tbsp agave nectar (or honey)

1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees. Spread the oats on grease proof paper on a large baking tray and bake for about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tray.

2. Place the chopped prunes in a saucepan and pour in water to double the depth. Bring to the boil and reduce for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally (and adding more water if necessary), until a sticky syrup is left with chunks of prunes.

3. Add the cranberries, linseed mix, pumpkin seeds, cinnamon, and agave nectar and stir until well combined. Then mix in the toasted oats.

4. Spread this oaty mixture into a baking tin (on grease proof paper) and bake for 15-20 minutes.

5. Remove from the oven and cut into squares. Leave to cool completely.

Enjoy :)